Republic of Moldova

International Expert - Independent Evaluation of the Support to Confidence Building Measures Programme

Vacancy Number: Pr14/00566

Location:	Chisinau, Moldova
Application Deadline:	29 Jun 2014, 23:59 (GMT+2:00)
Type of Contract:	Individual Contract
Starting date:	28 Jul 2014
Reference to the project:	Support to Confidence Building Measures
Expected Duration of Assignment:	Up to 20 working days during July 2014 to August 2014
Submission Instructions: Proposals should be submitted online by pressing the "Apply Now" button no later than 29 June 2014. Requests for clarification only must be sent by standard electronic communication to the following e-mail: victor.dragutan@undp.org. UNDP will respond by standard electronic mail and will send written copies of the response, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to all applicants. This Vacancy Announcement is also placed on http://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?cur_job_id=47330
Supporting Documents: Terms of Reference Individual Consultant Procurement Notice Personal History Form (P11) UNDP General Conditions of Individual Contract

Background

The overall objective of the SCBM programme is to facilitate the settlement of the Transnistrian issue through ensuring economic and social development of local communities and increasing confidence between both banks of the Nistru River by involving local authorities, civil society organisations, business community and other stakeholders.

The programme aims to ensure that ongoing efforts at settlement at the political level (5+2 informal and formal talks) and technical levels (confidence building working groups) are supported by development and confidence building initiatives at the community level that seek to create a general atmosphere conducive to dialogue and cooperation at all levels. The programme aims to reduce misperceptions and mistrust and increase confidence between programme participants and the population at large on both banks. Activities target individuals, communities, institutions, civil society and other stakeholders who demonstrate a willingness to engage in cross-river partnerships and platforms which contribute directly to greater socio-economic development. The major interventions of the project were defined mainly by building upon the lessons learned in the previous 2 phases of the SCBM project, which were successfully implemented during 2009-2011.

Programme specific objectives:

-        To enhance economic development in the Transnistria region and the security zone and contribute to economic rapprochement between the two banks of the Nistru River by promoting cross-river exchanges and expanding the range of catalytic business support services;

-        To empower local communities and actors from both sides to participate in collaborative projects addressing pressing development needs and ensure the delivery of essential public services;

-        To address common environmental development concerns by creating opportunities and platforms for joint collaboration from both banks;

-        To foster civil society development by enhancing the capacity of NGOs to generate activities which promote cross-river collaboration and addressing key development needs.

Scope of work

The purpose of the Evaluation is to learn from the experience of the EU/UNDP funded programme on Support to Confidence Building Measures, with a forward looking approach. The Evaluation is expected to clarify underlying factors affecting the situation, highlight unintended consequences (positive and negative) and better design UNDP-supported interventions at the next stage. The Country Office accordingly plans to make use of the exercise as a learning opportunity not only for the office but also for key partners and stakeholders, as inclusively and as practically possible.

The overall objectives of the evaluation are the following:

1. Provide an objective assessment of the achievements, constraints, performance, results, impact, relevance and sustainability of the interventions.
2. Generate lessons from experiences in the respective interventions for the period 2011 to date (results of the two previous smaller CBM projects could be as well considered) to inform current and future programming at the country level
3. Identify whether past results represent sufficient foundation for future progress
4. Provide clear and forward-looking recommendations in order to suggest effective and realistic strategies by UNDP and partners.

The evaluation should be comprehensive and cover the outcome, outputs, activities and inputs of the project. The results of the evaluation will be used for re-focusing the interventions and guiding future programming. In this context, the evaluation will:

1. Extract lessons for future interventions in the sector;
2. Propose improvement of the coordination between donor-supported interventions in meeting national requirements;
3. Outline main areas of focus for next stage UNDP projects.

For detailed information, please refer to Annex 1 – Terms of Reference.

Requirements for experience

Academic Qualifications:

• Minimum of a master’s degree or equivalent in Management, Development Studies and/or International Affairs and other relevant fields;

 Years of experience:

• At least 8 years of work experience in the areas relevant to the assignment (post conflict development, local development, participatory planning for sustainable development, including participatory monitoring and evaluation);
• At least 3 years’ experience in conducting evaluation of projects in the socio-economic field;
• Proven experience of participatory monitoring and evaluation processes;
• Experience within the country, including in Transnistrian region will be a strong advantage;

 Competencies:

• Excellent analytical and writing skills;
• Familiarity with development approaches in post-conflict context of Eastern Partnership or EU Neighborhood countries;
• Excellent spoken and writing skills in English (Russian or Romanian are an advantage).

Documents to be included

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information in English to demonstrate their qualifications:

1. Proposal:

(i) Letter of Interest explaining why they are the most suitable for the work

(ii) Provide a brief methodology on how they will approach and conduct the work

(iii) Confirmation of availability to provide services within the stipulated timeframe.

2. Financial proposal in USD;

3. Personal CV including past experience in similar projects and the contact details of at least 3 reference persons.

Financial proposal

The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (i.e. whether payments fall in installments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (including fee per day, travel, per diem, mobile phone costs, etc.).     

Travel

All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.

In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the SCBM Programme Manager and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

 

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